Increasingly, portable electronic devices such as mobile phones are video-capable. Some mobile phones are equipped to receive digital television, some have a video-enabled camera, and some may have graphical computer gaming capability, possibly even games that are interactive in real time with compatible games on other mobile phones. However, video data demands a user's attention to a greater extent than many other mobile phone applications. Users purchase mobile phones to remain in contact with others, so in certain prior art solutions the mobile phone merely discontinued displaying the video data when there was an incoming call. Where the mobile phone is capable of other functions as well, such as accessing the Internet and serving as a personal digital assistant in storing a user's calendar of appointments, reminders, and phone book of contacts, there are a multitude of instances in which the user's attention may be taken away from the video data being displayed. However, the user is in the better position to determine whether to interrupt the display of video data and immediately respond to the incoming message, or continue viewing the video data and respond to the incoming message at a later and more convenient time. Terminating the display of video data upon every new incoming message is not seen as optimal from a mobile phone user's perspective, and becomes less so with increasing and varied functionality in mobile phones. The same is true when the user is recording (e.g., video and/or audio) or capturing/viewing a still photo.
What is needed in the art is a method and device by which a user is enabled to decide whether to continue the mobile phone doing some function that occupies the display screen (e.g., watching video data) and at least temporarily ignore an incoming call or message, or use the display screen to read/respond to the incoming message and terminate at least temporarily that other function that otherwise occupies the display screen. The present invention is directed toward providing a user with some knowledge relevant to the subject matter between which s/he must choose so that s/he may best determine how the limited display screen of a mobile phone or other portable device is to be used on a message-by-message basis.